Vessel Height Surveillance System (VHSSTM) is a core capability of VIPS® which offers automatic height measurement through combination of vision-based, artificial intelligence and calibration techniques. VHSSTM can ascertain the position of vessel’s mast, and measure the height of the vessel. This is an automatic, essential and user-friendly feature that eliminates manual checks which can be slow, tedious and prone to human error. The system is being deployed for Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

Prevent collision of vessel with low-flying aircraft (which is taking off/landing) for airbase/airport near sea-port

Alert is raised to notify security/operational staff when vessel exceeds the configurable allowed-height

Automating Security Enforcement at coastal/waterway

VHSSTM provides an additional layer of security check to validate the identity of the vessel received from AIS system, thus minimising the chance of security threats due to forgery of vessel identity

Alert is raised to notify security/operational staff when vessel’s height does not match with profile received from AIS or other available database

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Shipmast Height Detection System (SHDS)

SHDS provides automated surveillance and height detection of vessels entering waterways. It employs an innovative combination of laser technology for measurement and intelligent vision for visual verification to provide continuous measurement and computation of vessel or shipmast height. SHDS ensures that the ship height regulations set by the authorities are adhered to, safeguarding structures suspended over the waterways, for example, cable cars and bridges etc.

SHDS has been deployed at Sentosa Island, Singapore, since 1999. This was the site of an accident in 1983 when an oil rig struck the aerial ropeway of the cable car system that ferried visitors across the waterway, to and from the island, causing seven deaths. While in operation, SHDS has successfully safeguarded the cable car operations against a repeat of similar potentially fatal accidents with ships. The Sentosa cable car system has enjoyed a zero-accident record since the system’s deployment.

Features

Automated surveillance

Laser beams act as invisible trip wires across the waterway entry point